Adoptions in NZ Birth Indexes & District Keys Books

Adoptions in the Original NZ Birth Indexes

These birth indexes were published on microfiche up to 1990 and copies are held in many major New Zealand and Australian Public Libraries. An adoption can be recognised because it is hand-written and there is a slash part way through the number. An adoption record is, in theory, off limits to all but the child and parents involved. Note not all hand-written entries relate to an adoption. The parents of an ex-nuptial child may have married with the result that the child is entered with a new surname. It may be that the original entry was incorrect and a second entry was required.

Post - 1960 births have the mother's Christian name except those involving an adoption.

District Keys Indexes for New Zealand Births & Deaths

A series of volumes have been produced for the years 1840 – 1955. These provide references to regions the folio numbers in the books cover plus the Districts the registrations were recorded. This  information helps narrow down a possible relative or  can confirm the area where the person you are seeking may come from and this can help identify regional records that can further assist your research.
Regions noted are:

Auckland Districts

Taranaki Districts

Wellington Districts

Hawkes Bay Districts

Marlborough Districts

Nelson Districts

Westland Districts

Canterbury Districts

Otago & Southland Districts

Lost Kin Research can help you today click on the following link and find out how

http://lostkin.co.nz/contact-bruce-garner-genealogy-lost-person/

Australian Biography Sources

Some great sources

Australian Dictionary of Biography Vol 1-12 C.D. Rom

Contains 7, 213 entries pub 1997 sourced from the original 12 volumes published plus cumulative indexes. The database may be searched by name, occupation, place of birth etc

  

Australian CD Rom School Project & Home Reference Library

Contains over 1000 biographies on famous Australians plus local histories & maps various Pub 1998 CD ROM

  

Australia’s Fighting Son’s of the Empire CD Rom 2007

Compilation of biographies and photographs (mainly WA) who fought in WW1 288pp Archive CD Books South Australia

  

Australian Pioneer & Reminiscences CD Rom

Originally published in 1896 covers Australian life 1849 – 1894 includes 150 portraits Pub 2007 by Archive Books South Australia

Who's Who in Australia 1906+

Who's Who in Australia 1997

Contains more than 10,500 biographical references to leading Australians whose details include: Full name of father & mother; Birth date and place; Date of marriage and to whom; Full name of father-in-law; Number of sons /daughters; Name of mother & mother-in-law including maiden names

Dictionary of Australian Biography

Percival SEARLE

Angus & Robertson 1949

http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/00-dict-biogIndex.html

Reproduction online, indexed, with photos can be downloaded and printed

Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition

 http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonline.htm

Who is in ADB online

The online edition has 10,000 articles on 11, 237 persons (all deceased) some articles are on more than one person. All articles have been sourced from the published book volumes produced from 1966 – 2005

Volumes 1 – 2 Deal with the period 1788 – 1859

Volumes 3 – 6 Deal with the period 1851 – 1890

Volumes 7 – 12 Deal with the period 1891 – 1939

Volumes 13 – 16 Deal with the period 1940 – 1980

Note that many of the print publications can be found in many major libraries.

Adoption in New Zealand 1881 - 1985

In 1881 the first Adoption Act was passed and provided for the legal adoption of a child under the age of 15 years. This was increased to 21 years in 1939. A magistrate made an adoption order for Europeans and by the judge in the Maori Land Court for Maori people. From 1881 - 1915, access to the original birth entry was not restricted and the entry remained the official source of information for issuing a birth certificate to an adoptee. In 1940 all pre 1916 adoption records were transferred to the Central Registry in Wellington

From 1915 changes to legislation provided for the re-registering of the adoptee's birth under their new adoptive name.

In 1924 further restrictions were placed on obtaining certified copies of the adoptees original birth certificate.

From 1955 no personal inspection of an original entry for an adopted person has been permitted.

The Adult Adoption Information Act 1985 allows a person who is adopted and who has reached 20 years of age access to their original birth record under Section 4 of the Act.

The original certificate will provide date and place of birth, sex and original names. In some instances the certificate will have details on both the birth parents.  If details of the birth parents are not recorded they may never have been registered in the first place or a veto has been placed by the birth parents. Sometimes the person placing the veto has left a letter of explanation, and request to the registrar should ask for this information plus any other non-identifying information that they may have.

Another source to check if you are unsure as to birth origins is police gazettes of mothers seeking maintenance from the alleged fathers of their illegitimate children - children both born and yet-to-be-born. Note for the years 1877 - 1925  there were a total of 1800 unmarried mothers with some 2000 babies involved, over 80% of who would have been born between the years 1900 - 1925.

The New Zealand Police Gazettes date from 1877, soon after central government took over policing. The volumes date from 1877 to 1990 when the gazette ceased publication. Access is allowed only to gazettes that are more than 100 years old. Each volume is indexed